Canadiens shake up NHL with Sebastian Aho offer sheet

The Montreal Canadiens are trying one of the gutsiest moves in recent memory by offer-sheeting Sebastian Aho, and the flood gates could open around the league as a result.

Finally, after years of nothing but empty talk, an NHL team finally had the guts to attempt an offer sheet. For the first time in six years, and it’s the Montreal Canadiens who may have just set the trend around the league.

The Canadiens have tendered an offer sheet to Carolina Hurricanes restricted free agent Sebastian Aho, with a five-year contract featuring an annual cap hit of $8.45M. Aho signed the sheet, so the Hurricanes have a week to either match the contract and keep Aho or take the compensation which would be a 2020 first-round pick, second-round pick, and third-round pick.

This move could have a massive ripple effect across the league. For a half-dozen years, general managers have tacitly agreed not to use offer sheets as weapons. With Montreal GM Marc Bergervin doing exactly that, other teams with cap space may be inclined to be aggressive. This year has an especially juicy crop of restricted free agents worth targeting, including Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner, and Winnipeg Jets stars Kyle Connor and Patrick Laine.

Should this begin to happen more frequently, it’ll be fascinating to see which players are given “poison-pill” type deals. Marner and Laine are two of the best young talents in the game, and both are worth in excess of $10 million per year. Would a team with oodles of space offer $15 million in the first season to ward off any potential match from a cap-strapped franchise? Fascinating.

As for Aho, the Canadiens’ offer is entirely front-loaded in signing bonuses, with $21M coming in the first 12 months of the deal. This is where it gets very interesting for the Hurricanes as they have never been a team to spend exorbitant amounts of money.

Aho is a budding star in Carolina. The 21-year-old just finished his third season with the Hurricanes, posting 30 goals and 83 points, along with 12 points in 15 playoff games. The latest rumor was the Hurricanes were offering Aho a full eight-year contract worth $7.5M per year. However with the offer sheet, the y are forced to either give him $8.45M for five years, or let him walk for the picks.

Regardless of signing bonuses, the Hurricanes would be insane to not match the offer. They finally revitalized their fanbase with a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. The cap hit isn’t bad either, so they’ll need to pay Aho and move on.